Bay Area News

Roadshow: Campaign signs bring Highway 85 to a halt

By Gary Richards grichards@mercurynews.com

Posted:
05/06/2014 12:01:00 AM PDT

Q The other day there was a major backup on Highway 85 around 5 p.m. It took me 40 minutes to go from De Anza Boulevard to Camden Avenue, which under normal conditions takes about 15 minutes. I figured there must have been an accident.

However, while passing under an overpass ahead, I saw two men holding a large sign that read "Vote for Kevin Jensen, Sheriff" and two large American flags were sticking out of their pockets.

No accidents to be found. These men caused such a major backup. I couldn't believe this was happening. Not only was this dangerous and a big distraction for drivers, I wouldn't vote for this Kevin Jensen character for the major backup that he caused. Is this legal?

Kathleen Campbell

A Caltrans says it is illegal to have banners, flags or signs on highway structures such as bridges, overpasses and fences. Folks who do this need to realize the problems they can create.

Q Last week I was driving from San Mateo over to Dublin, and as usual, took Highway 92 to Interstate 880 around 3:30 p.m. Normally it is smooth sailing, even if traffic is heavy. But this time, apparently new metering lights were either installed or activated going onto 880 and traffic was backed up all the way from 92. What normally would take maybe two or three minutes to accomplish took me over half an hour.

Christine Khoury

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Belmont

A You stumped both me and Alan-the-Caltrans-Metering-Guru. Here's why: This metering light has been in use since late 2011.

Q When will Palo Alto turn on the speed limit sign on Embarcadero Road near Highway 101 past the Edgewood Shopping Center? I've never seen it turned on.

Scott Hobson

A The sign is close to 12 years old and needs to be replaced. That could happen this summer.

Q You have covered the repaving of Highway 101 in Mountain View and Palo Alto with auxiliary lanes. However, I couldn't find information on whether they are going to fix the short merges at Willow Road, Rengstorff Avenue and Oregon Expressway.

Harsh Shah

A Your search was futile for a reason. There are no plans to fix the short merges.

Q My third-grader son sent a letter to the mayor of Santa Clara about a month ago requesting the city look into setting up a traffic signal at Wyatt Drive and Mission College Boulevard, which he uses every day while going to school. To date, he has not received a reply nor was a signal set up. He always asks what happened to the letter that he sent. Can you help get an answer?

Swapnajit Mitra

Santa Clara

A The city looked into your son's request and said this intersection does not meet the requirements for a new signal, plus it is in very close proximity to the Montague Expressway signal to the south and Burton Drive signal to the north. But the city will monitor the area and if cars are blocking the intersection and making it difficult for pedestrians to cross, a "Keep Clear" message may be installed.